Buzz
Whoever claimed that money can't buy happiness clearly never experienced the joy a dog feels when getting a new toy. Researchers from Elmhurst University in Elmhurst, Illinois, found that buying a gift for your pet brings more joy than spending that money on yourself.
In the first of two experiments, researchers asked 149 participants to recall a time they spent $5 on themselves, their pet, or someone else. They recorded as much detail as they could and answered two questions on a scale of 1 to 10—one on their happiness and the other on their life satisfaction. The researchers averaged the scores and found that spending on pets resulted in the highest level of happiness.
In the second experiment, 188 participants were given $5 and randomly assigned to spend it on themselves, their pets, or someone else by the end of the day. Most people spending on themselves bought food, pet owners bought toys or treats, and those spending on others made charitable donations or purchased a gift card, snack, or drink. Researchers then measured participants' happiness using the same two questions as the first experiment.
As in the first experiment, those who spent money on their pets reported higher happiness than those who spent on themselves or others.
The study, published in the Journal of Positive Psychology, builds on a prior study from the University of British Columbia, which found that people are happier when spending money on others. Since many view their pets as family, the strong bonds we share with our pets drive us to want to make them happy, as explained by Psychology Today.
If you're looking for a happiness boost, try treating your furry companion to something special. Need inspiration? Check out our list of 15 Novelty Toys for Pets for ideas.
